Member record with "DNC" in phone and email

[BrianEdwards]

We have recently received a new record, and when looking at the info, the phone and email are entered like this (with a valid phone and email if you disregard the DNC portion):
555-555-5555 (DNC)
some_name@DNCyahoo.com
I am guessing that this was some previous ward's effort to tag the member as "Do Not Contact". While sympathetic, I don't believe this is approved procedure. Perhaps the most-recent ward simply let the record pass through without contacting the member, although I'm not certain how they knew to push the records over to us now.

As a local leader, I feel responsible for knowing something about this member, it serves no purpose to have somebody on the Church's membership rolls if they never ever get any contact from the Church. Has anyone had a situation like this, and if so, what did you find worked well (beyond simply ignoring the member's existence)?

[russellhltn]

If I was a leader, I'd consider first contacting the prior ward for some background. Then contacting the member.

Hopefully they'll be more receptive to a bishop contacting them than the general rank-and-file members.

Depending on the outcome of the conversation, it may be worth letting them know the procedure to leave the church. Few understand that it's an actual procedure and think "go away" is enough times will do it. To leave them in the dark feels like denying them their agency.

[lajackson]

To leave them in the dark feels like denying them their agency.

I wish it were that simple. by the time they get riled up, there is no longer any listening involved on their part. But as you suggest, contacting the prior bishop is the best thing to do.

As a bishop myself, I stood at gunpoint while a disgruntled member let me know in no uncertain terms that they did not want their membership record removed. They just wanted to be left alone.

[russellhltn]

As a bishop myself, I stood at gunpoint while a disgruntled member let me know in no uncertain terms that they did not want their membership record removed. They just wanted to be left alone.

I'd think the "protect others" clause comes into play.

[scgallafent]

We have recently received a new record, and when looking at the info, the phone and email are entered like this (with a valid phone and email if you disregard the DNC portion):
555-555-5555 (DNC)
some_name@DNCyahoo.com
I am guessing that this was some previous ward's effort to tag the member as "Do Not Contact". While sympathetic, I don't believe this is approved procedure.

It is not an approved procedure.